► The Town | A

The Town tells the story of Doug MacRay and his group of bank-robbing friends from the rough side of Boston. MacRay, played by Ben Affleck, falls in love with a woman his gang took hostage during one of their jobs. What follows is a truly action-packed film that leaves the audience both excited and constantly guessing what will happen next.

Though Affleck has been involved in some questionable projects (Gigli), The Town — which he co-wrote, directed and starred in — was absolutely phenomenal and has the potential to jump-start a large-scale comeback to his glory days.

Affleck plays his role of a seasoned thief who is trying to get out of the game perfectly and is surrounded by an outstanding cast. Co-star Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) delivers a chilling performance as MacRay's best friend who has gone too far into a life of crime. Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) and Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona,Frost/Nixon) are all spot-on, completing the movie's incredibly talented line-up.

Coming in at just over two hours, there was the potential for the movie to lag a little bit, but that was not the case. The plot of the film was both original and interesting, and the story was shown in a way that the audience kept asking for more. There was not a moment when the viewer was left wondering how much longer it would be until the action started back up.

There was a great mix of drama, comedy and action in the film, which made it all the more enjoyable to watch. The dry humor managed to keep the film from being bogged down and possibly depressing throughout. Action scenes were also executed very well and managed to look both realistic and exciting at the same time.

The film was shot on location in Boston, which really added to the overall feel of The Town. The city was a major aspect of the movie (thus the title) and it was fitting that they would take advantage of Boston's landmarks such as Fenway Park, which played a prominent role in the plot.

Sometimes action movies tend to lose the audience at the end, but The Town was not predictable and tied up the loose ends of the film nicely. Bearing this in mind, as well as the plot and cast of characters, The Town is definitely worth the $10 for a ticket, and maybe even the popcorn too.